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Sixteen-year-old Sita was picking cotton in the fields of Darshi Kohli near Samaro, Sindh. Like many other Hindus in rural Pakistan, she along with her parents worked on land owned by a Muslim family. Her family has been working as farmers since generations.

While this seemed like any other day, it was one which would change her life forever.

Out of nowhere, a group of armed men stormed towards the family. Two men held Sita’s mother, Lakshmi, and her father, while a few others forcefully took Sita with them.

Reliving the dreadful day two years later, Lakshmi says, “They belonged to the Khashkheli tribe from a nearby village” — the same tribe who owns the land on which she and her family continue to work.

“We could not stop them and watched our daughter taken away right in front of us. It is so cruel,” she laments.

A Hindu activist talks to Lakshmi about her daughter’s disappearance at her house in a village near Mirpurkhas, Sindh.

Sita’s parents rushed to the police and managed to get a kidnapping case registered.

Finally one day, they got a phone call from their daughter. A frantic Sita told them that she had escaped, furthering instructing them about where to pick her. Earlier that day, when her kidnappers were away in the fields, the young woman had managed to escape under the guise of fetching water.

The family breathed a sigh of relief. The worst, they falsely thought, was over.

Blind justice

Subsequently, Sita’s kidnapping case was presented in the court. Over the next 40 days her family took her for court sessions in Umerkot twice.

After the first hearing, while members of the abductor’s family were also present in the court, Sita’s family was approached by an intermediary from the Khashkheli tribe who threatened them to drop the charges.

Determined to pursue the case, the complainants did not back off. They showed up to the second court hearing at a later day.

Sita, her brother and uncle were riding back from the hearing in a rickshaw when masked armed men attacked them. “They started firing upon us,” says Lakshmi. In the firing, her son got shot in the arm and husband’s younger brother got shot in the shoulder.

Before their very eyes, the men grabbed Sita as she continued to scream and yell. They tied a cloth on her face and took her away a second time, with her family unable to resist yet again.

Reliving the horror

The parents were back to square one. They filed another case of kidnapping and rape with the police. Soon enough they found themselves back in court.

Sita was present for the hearing this time around too, but she was with the Khashkeli men instead of her family. The men had a clear message for Lakshmi.

“Your daughter has converted to Islam and is married in the family,” she was told.

Just outside court premises while her kidnappers stood by her, Sita sternly asked her mother to drop the case and forget about her.

A shocked Lakshmi saw the helplessness on her daughter's face. Clearly, Sita did not want her family to continue struggling.

Lakshmi and her husband have four younger daughters and three sons. Defeated, and realising the gravity of the threat, they stepped back.

They have not heard from Sita ever since.

Lakhsmi’s younger daughter, Rani, inside her house in a village near Mirpurkhas.

Life after Sita

With despair and pain in her eyes, Lakshmi carries out her everyday chores. “I feel so lost. Sometimes I feel I have lost my mind. Now we have to protect our other girls and we want to be left alone,” she says.

Fourteen-year-old Rani hardly speaks out of terror. Frustrated, the only thing she says is that her sister will never come back.

Other families in Darshi Kohli and nearby Hindu communities are similarly terrified and angry. No one wants to discuss the incident.

Lakshmi’s relatives encourage her not to speak to activists and journalist about the abduction. They are worried for the safety of the rest of the girls. Out of fear, Lakshmi and her husband, like many other families in the village, are considering migrating to India.

Looking outwards

“Many Hindu families have migrated to India from our village due to threats. The Muslims in this area tell us we are a minority and also that we are infidels... If we go to the courts, the judges there are also Muslims; so is everyone in the police. There is no one to hear our voice. Me and my family are prepared to leave Pakistan. I just got our passports and obtained visas. Until there are laws to protect us we do not have future in this country,” says Parak Khan, another Hindu farmer.

“The feudal are influential people and they are crushing and exploiting the Hindus who are poor and work as farmers on their land,” says Nawal Rai, a Hindu social activist in Umerkot.

“Everyone around us who is in authority is a Muslim. Who will want to save us from trouble?” asks Sampa, an elderly woman in Krishan Kohli village near Mirpurkhas.

Sampa, whose family has owned land over generations, is now forced to consider leaving the country. “Last month we got passports made for the entire family and we are considering going to India. If the situation improves for us and our girls, we will never want to leave.”

Speaking on the matter, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a PML-N MNA says, “It is so unfortunate that our Hindus are leaving Pakistan and are forced to go take refuge in India. There is lack of political will in Pakistan and especially in Sindh to pass the bill on Hindu forced conversions. There are pressures from religious groups. The Hindu families are vulnerable and desperate. They are no longer able to protect their daughters and the way out for them is to migrate to India.”

Abduction of teenage Hindu girls and their forced conversion to Islam is an ongoing issue in Pakistan — and especially in Sindh province.

Growing up girls in the community are made aware of this danger. As soon as the girls are eight or nine years old, they are instructed on how to be ‘careful’ while working in the fields or fetching water.

“Our mothers tell us not to go near Muslim villages, and to never to make eye contact with any Muslim man,” says 10-year-old Kavita.

The bigger picture

According to a 2015 Aurat Foundation report, every year nearly 1,000 girls from minority religions are forcefully converted to Islam in Pakistan. The report states that wilful conversions do take place but there is no doubt that forced conversions are a reality.

Upon much protests by minority activists, the Sindh Assembly passed a bill that criminalises forced religious conversions and forced marriages in November last year. But this too led to much controversy and, was labelled as "anti-Islam" by hardline religious groups. “The religious leaders are objecting to the age limit. They say anyone can be converted to Islam at any age and there should be no age limit stated in the bill. We are being pressurised by a group who are not represented in the assembly and who are just a few percentage of a total population. We say that let this bill take its due course and become a law and then we can discuss amendments,” Majida Rizvi, director of the Sindh Human Rights Commission had observed.

The Sindh government decided to review the bill in December last year, and early this year, the bill was returned.

All photos are by the author.

Sara Farid is an independent photojournalist based in Islamabad who has traveled across Pakistan to report on human interest stories. Her work is published in national and international papers and her photos have been exhibited in Pakistan and other countries. She covers news, daily-life and humanitarian issues with a focus on marginalised and displaced communities. Follow her @sarafarid.

Comments (65) Closed

BNJMay 09, 2017 10:16am

Good write-up Sara. I can only pray for the hindu brothers and sisters in Pakistan.

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TNMay 09, 2017 10:32am

Good work of Sara.
Unfortunately we do not have effective justice system therefore, even poor Muslims are the victims of powerful landlords.
Islam and true Muslim will never & ever encourage such forced conversion and feel shame that they are forced to migrate to India.

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Dipankar SarkarMay 09, 2017 10:34am

No words are enough to appreciate this writer. Salute ...

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Angry pitbullMay 09, 2017 10:41am

Hats off to the author SARA, Really need courage to write up a story like this Wow.... People will come out in denial mode as such nothing is happening in Pakistan. Please accept the fact and accept the minorities with open arm. Nothing can be achieved by forcing someone. Lets peace prevail.

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amar deshpandeMay 09, 2017 10:48am

Congratulations Dawn for holding the mirror. I am curious to read Pakistanis' comments on this article.

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sidharthMay 09, 2017 10:48am

verry sad to know

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Hardcore IndianMay 09, 2017 10:49am

Shame shame. Would not have used these harsh words if these happenings were stray incidents.

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HazarawalMay 09, 2017 11:13am

So unfortunate situation ! In Pakistan, the weaker you are, the more prone you are to be violated. Sindh in particular, is the land of the feudal.

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Chanchal RajMay 09, 2017 11:15am

So sad... :(

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Ameet KumarMay 09, 2017 11:28am

there are hundreds of untold stories of forced conversion in only Sindh which did not get attention due to main stream media. thank you lady for writing on privileged community of Pakistan. keep writing.

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PakistaniMay 09, 2017 11:28am

So painful to read all this! I firmly believe that whosoever forcefully converts a non-muslim to Islam, cannot be a regarded as a Muslim. Islam is a religion of peace and harmony, not hatred and disrespect. Exemplary punishments are required for all those involved in this heinous crime.

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Tahir AMay 09, 2017 11:34am

Savages taking advantage of a bent mindset.

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Akbar AhmedMay 09, 2017 11:55am

A very interesting .thoughtful article. Sadly another example of the weak being preyed upon by the strong in Pakistan.

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kimMay 09, 2017 11:57am

What a shame :(

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venkatMay 09, 2017 11:59am

Brave article exposing the state of minorities.. on the other hand in India we have our mainstream media blowing up everything...

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mujahidMay 09, 2017 12:18pm

very unfortunate actually. what is more unfortunate is the deafening silence in this post. i apologize to her as a muslim.

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Rajinder nathMay 09, 2017 12:29pm

Salute to brave journalist.

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U jwala rayMay 09, 2017 12:44pm

Why not sind government to provide autonomous hindu council in umerkot to protect hindu like government has wildlife conservation authorities, archaeology heritage authorities.

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Ranjit HaripurMay 09, 2017 12:44pm

Religion aside, abduction and kidnapping is a very serious crime!

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akbarMay 09, 2017 01:07pm

Very sad to hear. Why are we not protecting a fellow human being irrespective of their religious faith?

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PAWANMay 09, 2017 01:09pm

I would thank the author from my heart for raising the voice for Hindus in Pakistan. Just hope one day they will be treated equally by Muslims.

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HariMay 09, 2017 01:13pm

Very sad to here the plight of religious minorities in pakistan.

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Hassan (Karachi)May 09, 2017 01:17pm

Thank you Sara for highlighting this trend.

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AadmiMay 09, 2017 01:29pm

Depressing.

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Asif jamilMay 09, 2017 01:36pm

As a Pakistani Muslim I hang my head in shame. This is barbaric and tribal behaviour. How can the State allow this?

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YogeshMay 09, 2017 01:56pm

This is unfortunate state of minorities in Pakistan.Please raise your voice against this before being concerned about human rights of Kashmiri people.No sane persons in India support oppression of anyone anywhere.We are a democratic country where our land is ruled by leaders elected by people

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R.K.DubeyMay 09, 2017 02:10pm

I congratulate Dawn to publish such type of article.

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JohnMay 09, 2017 02:18pm

Excellent

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PrashantMay 09, 2017 02:22pm

Hats of Sara! You are wonderful writer. Thank you Dawn and believe me I am regular reader because of your wonderful reporting. TOI and IE are not even an inch closer to yours. Keep it up.

I think Media at both side can really play a V good role in changing peoples midesets in both countries.

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AhmadMay 09, 2017 03:09pm

What a shame What a Shame. Shame on Who convert these girls just for their own lust. im Ashamed and I m Sorry i can not do a thing for My Minority. Well I m myself a minority So I share your pain Dear Hindus.

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M WaheedMay 09, 2017 03:10pm

@amar deshpande
As a Pakistani I feel it is shameful. No body has the right to convert another person forcefully. This is a shameful act and it must be condemned. I loath this to the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately we, in Pakistan and India, are becoming more and more extremists in our behavior although it is nothing to do with the religion. Its the responsibility of educated people in both the countries to raise the awareness of human rights among the masses.

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N H RANAMay 09, 2017 03:27pm

@BNJ : Only honest legal system can give the protection to the Citizens, only prayers don't.

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vijay guptaMay 09, 2017 03:29pm

Thankfully there is no forced conversions in India.

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Umar KHITABMay 09, 2017 03:56pm

These are sins and no would be spared. Forced conversions are the biggest discredit to any religion and these practitioners have their own petty and nefarious designs. It seems the rich and the powerful can do anything anywhere and Pakistan is no exception.

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Radhakrishnan meyyappanMay 09, 2017 04:03pm

Well done Dawn. Courageous journalism like this helps the country & people.

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Rajeev GuptaMay 09, 2017 04:20pm

My heart bleeds and blood boils àfter reading such stories. Hats of to Sara to write such story.

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NidaMay 09, 2017 04:43pm

Hey Sara, really good work. In your career this piece will be like a big building block. Thank you Dawn for publishing it.

Sometimes when I watch debates on the TV I see a clear difference how young ones like you on both sides of the border have an open mind while Oldies still keep pushing the 70s and 80s and 90s enmities.

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ToPi sambhaloMay 09, 2017 04:55pm

@M Waheed

Speak for yourselves

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samirMay 09, 2017 05:27pm

May the Almighty bless you to bring to light the plight of innocent poor girls. Its so sorrowful and heartrending ...I am speechless at the horror. Can't imagine how people are living in such perpetual fear. Sad.

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SabaMay 09, 2017 05:36pm

It reflects the weakness of the state and her justice
system.

Islam is instructing his/her followers to protect
minorities and be kind with them, but a section of
Muslims are forcing them to convert to Islam by
forcibly marrying their daughters at gun point.

We must know in Islam,

Forced marriage is no marriage.

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sri1May 09, 2017 05:54pm

@mujahid "what is more unfortunate is the deafening silence in this post. i apologize "
It's okay bhaijaan. How many can you keep apologizing for?

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futurewizardMay 09, 2017 06:59pm

good writeup....I guess punishment for any religious minority to live in Pakistan. Bigger question is, who is Majority?

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ArafatMay 09, 2017 07:32pm

As Muslim and a Pakistani I am ashamed to read this. Only if law was strong enough to apprehend these violators of human rights. This is totally against the teachings of Islam. These criminals will rot in hell for their horrible actions. My heart goes out to all victims and their families.

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Ramesh KumarMay 09, 2017 08:10pm

Thank you Sara for writing an excellent piece. Unfortunately, minorities are not safe in Pakistan. Even if someone dares to raise the voice, there is no justice.

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shubsMay 09, 2017 08:11pm

This is medieval. The story of her kidnap sounds like it is from another century. And instead of educating and bringing the population out of this mindset, the Pakistani government has enabled and perpetuated their ignorance and bigotry even further by codifying discrimination into their constitution in the form of blasphemy laws. Shame.

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Shafiq memonMay 09, 2017 08:41pm

Feudalism has to be exterminated, i must say it is being done and been done in some remote areas, even one such incident is reprehensible and condemn able, such issues should be highlighted in order to dump such infrequent issues.

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MelkorMay 09, 2017 08:50pm

Kudos to Dawn for publishing this story. Might be the only voice who speaks for the oppressed in Pakistan.

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syed naseerMay 09, 2017 10:05pm

nice story

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True PakistaniMay 09, 2017 10:49pm

I can only apologise as a Pakistani to my Hindu Sisters and Brothers. I want to say more but I honestly have no words. Right now my heart is hurting. May god bless you all and give you a happy future.

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satishMay 10, 2017 12:47am

I must appreciate the author for this write up on those who are still suffering and in need of justice.
keep writing for the poor and needy

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Shankar SinghMay 10, 2017 01:06am

My heart weaps for Rani and Lakshmi. Uf !!

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Bin Adam May 10, 2017 01:22am

Peoples Party been mostly ruling Sind and so often even the Federal Govt. The previous Federal and Sindh Govt was ruled for full term of 5 years and with the party Head and leader being the President and Prime Minister Of Pakistan. They had fullest control over legislature, Federal and Provincial Govts and the administration including the Police and law emforcing Agencies. What did these so called liberal, Sindhi Govt, President and Sindh Chief Minister do to protect our helpless Sindhi Hindus brothers, sons and more specially the Sindhi Hindu sisters and daughters from criminal assaults of Waderas, feudal lords and the ruthless criminal monsters majority of whom belonged from Sindh and also from other parts of the Country ruled by PPP? In the eyes of God these helpless women and family members of our beloved Hindu minority countrymen are equal. And deserve similar respect protection like the family members of the Presidents, Prime Ministers Chief Ministets and institutional heas.

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secularistMay 10, 2017 01:28am

@vijay gupta A ridiculous claim. What about "Ghar Wapasi" movement promoted by the Hindu right wing outfits like VHP and Bajaranbali?

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KarimMay 10, 2017 02:48am

I am a Pakistani Muslim and there has been a series of incidents which makes you feel ashamed being a Pakistani. As we progress in all sectors of our lives, I feel like we become less human as we go along and it is so sad. I feel so so sorry for all the Hindu and Minority families who have gone through and are going through such brutality. May God give us all courage to stand up to such brutal acts and save our brothers and sisters from other communities. Excellent article and we need more of it, but it is really sad no actions are taken.

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AfzalMay 10, 2017 03:02am

What a shame? And they claim to be the most civilized society..strange...

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jay tuliMay 10, 2017 04:56am

Sara's article and comments by Pakistani Muslims show how much Pakistan has changed. Hope the young generation on both sides of the border will unite one day and live peacefully and happy irrespective of their religions.

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saeedMay 10, 2017 05:28am

@vijay gupta .You think so and are told so

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Manu USAMay 10, 2017 05:44am

Pakistan needs to respect human rights.

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KhanMay 10, 2017 06:39am

She converted. So what? No evidence she was forced to convert. When the ignorant hear the truth, they usually change their minds.

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Calm coolMay 10, 2017 06:55am

Just crying for the little princess.

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Maria goharMay 10, 2017 07:37am

I dont know about sindh but in ryk they aliving happily n in their own country conditions of muslim women are like this

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Abdulla HussainMay 10, 2017 11:37am

Good, someone took up a case that may have happened much before her birth. investment in the past.

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YOURSTRULYMay 10, 2017 12:15pm

Nice journalism by Sara Farid. It is because of people like her that humanity still exists, even in extreme lands.

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sjMay 10, 2017 01:24pm

I feel ashamed that our legislators are still taking pressure after hearing such horrible stories of crime against humanity

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SarahMay 11, 2017 09:38am

Considering migrating to India? Come on now, pack those bags and get over the border as fast as you humanly can.